Blue states like California still have not come to terms with the basic political realization that when you subsidize a behavior you can expect more of that behavior.
Nowhere is that more apparent than with the homeless population, which is at crisis levels in many cities in the Golden State, and the capital city of Sacramento is included on that list, having now topped San Francisco in numbers.
“Sacramento’s homeless population has spiraled out of control, soaring by 67 percent in just three years — pushing the numbers even higher than nearby San Francisco as photos show tent cities and communities of the unhoused living under bridges,” the Daily Mail reported.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 just say homeless.
Sacramento Police Department Air One took this photo of “Urban Campers” enjoying the river in beautiful downtown River City. Thanks Air One for the great shot. It truly depicts the beauty of our river and our city.
Chief Sharris (they/them) pic.twitter.com/Yc0mL786SG— 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸Erin B.🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@IndigoCrow74) July 19, 2022
A city of 525,000, Sacramento has around 5,000 homeless people within the city limits, many living in vehicles and tents, according to the British tabloid. And crime has risen along with the number of homeless, up 17 percent overall from the same point last year, according to city data. Robberies are up 42 percent and rapes are up a shocking 92 percent.
In comparison, San Francisco has an estimated 4,400 homeless people living in the city, which has a much larger population of 874,000.
And San Francisco has its share of problems, as well:
https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1545591855617695745?s=20&t=JrXGGXFUM1P8vGJPc46XWA
The jump in Sacramento’s homeless population represents “a whopping 67 percent increase from the peak in 2019,” the Daily Mail noted, citing a Sacramento Steps Forward report, adding that the capitol city “now has a staggering 952 homeless people per 100,000 citizens, versus 503 per 100,000 in San Francisco.”
From the report:
“Similar to statewide trends, Sacramento County continues to experience substantial increases in homelessness. An estimated 9,278 individuals experienced homelessness throughout Sacramento County on a single night in February 2022. This represents a 67 percent increase in nightly homelessness since the last Point-in-Time Count in 2019, when 5,570 individuals were estimated homeless. This is also the highest estimate of homelessness on record for Sacramento–per capita, 59 out of 10,000 residents in the county experience homelessness on any given night.”
Yet, the more the plans fail, the more the planners plan — and spend.
Just as plentiful are the excuses, as detailed by the Daily Mail. Democrats blame the surge on the rising cost of living and housing prices, while medical experts and others say it is more likely caused by harmful drugs and a lack of sufficient policing or shelter for the homeless.
The newspaper added that Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said the crisis is caused by a lack of policing and mental health care. Schubert, who is running as an independent for state attorney general, also pointed to a raging drug epidemic that Democrats are not handling.
"Eat your landlord"
Stencil spotted in West Sacramento pic.twitter.com/TtjYGzbxx0— Radical Graffiti (@GraffitiRadical) July 19, 2022
As for the aforementioned subsidizing, it comes in many shapes and sizes:
https://twitter.com/LynnSchore/status/1493704516079816706?s=20&t=c2oH3TY16eihvfAs9oqI_A
All the while, some cities in California are entertaining the possibility of guaranteed income for the downtrodden, with the state itself launching a guaranteed income pilot program.
“As part of the Fiscal Year 2021-22 budget agreed to by California’s Governor and the Legislature, the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) will oversee a guaranteed income pilot program,” the California Department of Social Services website reads. “Guaranteed income pilot programs traditionally provide unconditional, individual, regular cash payments intended to support the basic needs of the recipients. The budget for the pilot program is $35 million (General Fund) over five years.”
This comes as the 2021‑22 state budget provided a total of $7.2 billion to about 30 homelessness‑related programs across various state departments, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office.
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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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